For Old Time's Sake
by Handy-for-the-bus
Summary: A Christmas charity event will take place at Downton, and a servants choir is the perfect entertainment for the night, and according to his Lordship, John Bates is the best man to train them, but he will find it hard to convince his valet to do so. Will Lord Grantham be able to persuade him? Maybe with Anna's help...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:** Downton Abbey and its characters belong to Julian Fellowes._

* * *

They all knew that when His Lordship came down to the servant's hall two things could possibly happen: big news or a demand disguised as a favour. And on that afternoon, in late November, a favour was the case for his visit.

'There's going to be a grand Christmas charity event this year. We are opening the house to the village and all proceeds will benefit the school. So I thought…well, Lady Grantham did, that a servant's choir to sing carols throughout the evening would be wonderful entertainment!' Robert said with a big smile on his face.

Everyone had a look of surprised apprehension as they eyed each other, trying to gauge what the others were thinking.

'A servant's choir, milord?' Mr Carson was the first to break the silence.

'Yes...a choir...with you...all.' His Lordship tried to make himself clear.

'Yes, my Lord, but...would that be wise? After all, no one here is a singer. Wouldn't we bring shame upon your House with our...untrained voices?' the butler said, a bit uncomfortable with the prospect.

'Oh, I quite like the idea, milord.' Mrs Hughes joined her master in his excitement. 'I think we all together can manage one or two tunes, at least.'

Carson, who was still doubtful, glared at the housekeeper from under his impressive eyebrows. "I'm not sure, milord...I fear...'

'Fine, Carson! I understand obviously some of you may sing like a skinned cat. Those who do will just watch. But I am sure that in unison it can't be that bad.' Robert smiled, and brushed his hands together. Case closed.

'But, who will organise us, and who will chose the ones to sing...the carols...vocal training...' Carson was still not quite ready to give up.

'Well...I've been thinking about that and that brought me to the days of the old African war...' the Robert began, looking directly at his valet. 'Bates used to sing some jolly tunes to cheer us up and he used to teach some of the younger men to sing together, put on some acts...and things like that to entertain us. And may I say, he had a voice that reduced most men to tears.'

All eyes faced John now. Most grinning in amazement at the new discovery about the so respected valet. The man could sing!

'Milord...I'm afraid that was a long time ago,' John tried to excuse himself. 'I haven't sung in years...and I was not that good.'

'Nonsense! I hear you singing in church, you are very good,' Anna interrupted her husband's attempts to weasel out of this.

'Anna...' the valet whispered between his clenched teeth, raising his brow, begging his wife to keep quiet about it.

'It's settled then. Bates will be organising. And singing!' With that the master left the hall and the servants relaxed once again, turning their eyes back towards John in question.

Thankfully for him, work still had to be done in the house and soon he was left alone reading his paper, with Anna mending a dress by his side.

'Who do you think will sing the best?' she asked him as she focused on a stitch.

'I'm not doing it, Anna.'

'Why ever not?!'

'Because I am not and that's that,' he said decisively, raising his voice a little. 'I'm sorry...I just...I should have been asked first. Those singing days were a long time ago and they are over now. I was young and...I was a different man.' He faced Anna, bringing his hand to hold one of hers. 'I don't want to do it.'

'Well...you won't do it then...but I think it's a shame.' She looked down the hallway to be sure they were alone. 'You sing so well in church and you don't even believe in all that and...you sing so beautifully to me,' she smiled.

'Well, that's different. I can sing my lungs out to you but I won't for anyone else.'

'But you did for the men at war.'

'Yes...no. I mean, once. Not anymore.'

'Alright, but you'll have to face his Lordship's disappointment after you tell him. He was so happy to have you in on it.'

'Well, he might as well start finding someone else. Mr Carson, for instance. With his voice like thunder he will add some respect to the choir and even sing a baritone solo with any luck,' John chuckled.

'Maybe...but by the horrified look on his face, that won't happen in a thousand years!' They both laughed before returning to their respective tasks. Soon the day would darken and they would be free to go to their home and enjoy the rest of night together.

XXXXXXX

'Anna,' his voice surprised her. It was no more than a whisper and when she turned he motioned her to come to him. She approached him, eyes questioning, he told her, again in a barely audible voice, to go in his room. He looked both ways before closing the door behind them.

'Anna!' he now sighed, relived. 'I need a favour.'

'Of course, milord,' she smiled.

'So, you see...Bates, he told me he won't do it.'

'Yes, he really doesn't want to.' Anna pursed her lips in disappoint.

'Yes, but you see…I need him to.' Lord Grantham rested a heavy hand on her shoulder and she froze, unsure of what to do. 'I need you to...persuade him to do it.'

'But milord, Mr Bates is a very-'

'Very stubborn man, I know that.' He let out a small dry laugh. 'But I really need you to do that, and I know you can. Bates...he can't say no to you.'

'I wish that was indeed true, milord.'

'But if you ask him...persuasively...' He widened his eyes to make his point.

'Uh, I can try.'

'Because...more than him being a good singer, and all that, I want him to do it for the old times. Do you know he used to sing tunes for soldiers who missed their wives?' Robert walked slowly towards his bed and sat down. 'Men used to cry, missing their loved ones, afraid they wouldn't go back to them and Bates...he would sing to them. Sweet, sentimental tunes. Catchy tunes. Those one sings when one's in love. He sang to me as well, while I missed my wife and daughters, and that made me feel so much better. That's why I want him to do it.' He sighed and his eyes grew misty at the end of his emotional speech.

'I'm sorry but...why don't you tell him that yourself?'

'I think you might have a better way of saying it. We're Englishmen, after all.' He gave her a melancholy smile and Anna promised she would do her best.

Robert knew she would and he knew she would manage to convince her husband to do so. In the end, his Lordship would be right.

* * *

_**TBC**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer_**_**:** Same as chapter 1. _

* * *

There was a storm brewing up. Rain was beginning to splatter against the window panes and the wind howled around the outside of cottage. But Anna was oblivious to it, listening instead to the comforting sounds of her husband washing up in the bathroom while she snuggled beneath the toasty quilt on their bed with her book in hand.**  
**

The book she was reading was a romance. Some would probably call it a forbidden book, full of sensual scenes and heated kisses and touches, and although Anna always had a fancy for that kind of reading, tonight she was not focused on the seductive words of the author. Tonight she was thinking about the mission his lordship had set for her. Tonight she would talk to John about the choir.

Her husband emerged from of the bathroom. Undershirt sleeves rolled up, the first three buttons undone and his braces swinging around his waist. He had a white towel on his shoulder and that errant lock of dark hair falling to his forehead, still damp from his washing up. The grey at his temples marked the passage of time, but that only made him even more charming and appealing to her. Just like fine wine, John Bates was only getting better with age. Anna smiled to herself, thinking what an incredibly fortunate woman she was.

'What's that amused look on your face about, Mrs Bates?' He shook her from her thoughts, smiling as he sat down on bed, running his white towel across the back of his neck.

'Can't a wife admire her husband?' She rested the book on her lap. 'That's the reason I married you. So I can look whenever I please.'

'Only look?' He smiled again, but daringly this time, his eyes twinkling and teasing. 'You can do more than that.'

Remembering the task before her she thought for a moment while he finished drying off his hair. Her husband was a giving man, at least he was always giving with her, but persuading him to do something that he already had discussed and decided on would be difficult task. Though as his wife, she surely knew a way.

So she laid the book on her bedside table and fluffed her loose hair. Slowly, she pulled back the quilt and crawled over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders and nuzzling her nose against his left ear.

'Oh my,' John relaxed under her ministrations. 'I thought tonight was reading night…' he sighed contently.

'Well, I changed my mind,' Anna murmured.

'Good, that's good. I like when you change your mind.'

Anna giggled, coming to sit on his lap. His hands were immediately around her middle and he placed a soft kiss on her neck.

'But first…' she began, raising her brow with a mischievous smile on her face. 'We need to talk about a little something.' Her index finger began caressing the hairs at his unbuttoned collar.

John was not worried about what she had to say, at most, he was curious. He knew his wife too well. He knew when she had something bad to tell him, something worth fretting over, and this was not the case. She was thinking, he could tell, she was trying to come up with the right words, but he saw the light and love in her eyes. What possibly could this be about?

'Extra work?' he asked. Maybe Lady Mary wanted to spend some time in London and Anna had to go with her? Maybe she wanted to buy new dresses and Anna had to follow her mistress with a notebook and a pencil while the seamstress took some measurements.

'No, not extra work, thank God.' She continued to run her finger up and down his skin.

'What then?' He was puzzled now. But mostly he wanted this conversation to be over. His lower parts were demanding another sort of…activity.

'Well…You know, about what happened yesterday?' She placed a quick kiss where her finger had been teasing.

John moaned. 'Yesterday?' Oh god, she knew exactly what to do.

Her lips came to his left cheek. 'Yes,' then the other cheek. 'About the choir.'

'Hmmm…' he growled. 'What about it?'

'I will be singing too,' she whispered in his ear.

'You have a beautiful voice,' he smiled, bringing one of her hands up to his lips.

'You have a beautiful voice as well.' She stuck her warm, moist tongue in his right ear.

John rolled his eyes. 'I already said I was not going to do it.' He looked at her then, with a knowing expression on his face. The minx! 'What are you up to, Mrs Bates?'

Anna sighed, giving away her scam. 'I promised I was going to convince you to sing.'

'Anna!'

She wrapped her arms around his neck. 'You should have seen how sad his Lordship was when he spoke to me.'

'So he asked you to seduce me into it?' John exclaimed, incredulous that his old comrade would stoop to this ploy. He was looking deep in her eyes, furrowing his brow to show her exactly how much he disapproved of it.

'Not seduce but…well…' she pulled his face to her lips and he tried to refuse her kiss. 'Come on,' she pleaded, smiling sweetly. Her husband could be so stubborn.

John looked at her for a moment but he couldn't avoid her kiss for long. She was smiling, her eyes bright and playful and her hands caressing at the back of his neck. He sighed to himself. He was a weak, weak man he had to admit, in the hands of one Anna Bates.

'You are a temptress,' he stated before kissing her urgently, leaving both panting and pulsing. She was indeed caught by surprise.

'I do like to seduce you in general, Mr Bates,' she teased, kissing his lips again. 'Are you very upset?' she asked.

He sighed loudly, 'Why do you want force me to do something I don't want to?'

'Alright, that's fair enough. Now you tell me, truly, why you don't want to do it?'

'I've told you. I'm not that man anymore.'

'John…of course you are that man. You didn't die and were born again. Maybe you've changed but why try to forget everything from your past? You sing for me, don't you? If you were that against your old singing self, you wouldn't do it, even for me.'

'Anna…' he shook his head. 'You wouldn't understand.'

'You silly beggar,' she ran her nose along his jaw, whispering. 'Don't I always understand you?'

He had to concede that this was true. 'You do.'

'Well then! Tell me.'

John felt her squeeze his hand, encouraging him to begin when he was ready. 'It makes no sense, I know,' he began. 'I can sing for you and with you. I can sing in church. But the thought of singing for other people, especially his Lordship, brings all these memories rushing back. And for the most part they're not good memories.'

'Oh, my darling…' Anna laid her hand on his face and felt him lean into it.

'I need to explain it to you,' he continued. 'And I want to. When I say I was a different man back then that's exactly what I mean. You wouldn't have liked me very much, Anna. I had just married Vera before we set off for Africa. I suppose I knew we weren't good for each other. God, I wish I had listened to my mother, but…' John shrugged his shoulders. 'Anyway we were married and I was a proud young buck back then and I thought I had the world at my fingertips.'

'It wasn't long before Vera's letters stopped coming and finally one day a cousin of mine wrote to say Vera had been seen around the neighborhood with various men. She was cheating on me and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I was too proud to confide in anyone. So when the other soldiers were reading aloud passages from their love letters from home I would pretend to do the same. Sometimes, one of them, Higgins it was, would pull out his mouth organ and I would sing along. Songs of love. But I didn't have a love and I had no hope of ever finding love.'

He looked down at their entwined hands resting on her lap. They always fit so perfectly.

'It was a bad time, Anna. I was sure I would die there, unloved and unwanted and I really didn't care. His Lordship returned to his loving family. He still has pleasant memories of those days. That's why he wants to relive them. I'm afraid I don't share his enthusiasm.'

Anna reached out and wiped tears from his cheeks. He hadn't even realised they'd fallen. 'That's exactly why you should sing now,' she told him.

'Is it?' He faced her and she was smiling at him with undying love and pride.

'Of course. Now you have every reason to sing, don't you? You have a wife who loves you more than the world, and we will live together for many, many years.' She kissed his cheek lovingly. 'We have a hopeful future ahead of us. You'll sing so much better now. Now that you are truly happy. Now that you can dream.'

Her words touched him and he felt like sobbing. She spoke the truth. She was so right. What a fool he could be. If he sang then, when he had no love in his heart, of course he could now, happily. He never thought this sort of happiness could exist. He never thought one could love so perfectly. All thanks to Anna. She had taught him so many things. She gave him so many lessons in life and love. And that was reason enough. His beautiful wife. He would sing for her at that event as he sang for her when they were alone.

Yes, he was a shy man, and he knew he was going to have a hard time pushing aside his nerves when he faced the audience, but for her he would do anything. Even sing a solo for the whole Downton to hear, and those memories of that past would be remembered with so much ease afterwards. For old time's sake and for the future ahead, he would do it.

But for now, he would forget about all the choir and singing and training, and focus on the task he had before him. Anna Bates.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **Same as chapter 1-2._

* * *

'Anna!' Robert's voice made her jump as she made her way through the bedroom's corridor.**  
**

'Bates told me he's going to do it!' he clapped his hands together like a schoolboy and stopped before her with a wide smile on his face. 'He said you were the one I needed to thank.'

'It was nothing, my Lord. I just made him see the reason to it.'

'I knew he wouldn't say no to you. All wives have their ways of persuasion.' Robert winked at her.

'That makes our job easier.' she smiled, trying with all her might to keep from rolling her eyes at him.

'You know,' he approached her then, and leaned in before whispering. 'I might give you both the weekend off…after Christmas, just as a way to thank you for your help.'

'It was not the most difficult of tasks, but Mr Bates and I would enjoy the weekend off, very much,' she said, thinking about all the wonderful things John had done to her after their discussion last night, and of the things that would probably happen in that so appreciated little vacation.

Robert made his way downstairs for breakfast, and Anna waited for her husband at the end of the corridor. He'd be leaving his Lordship's dressing room shortly.

The morning was an easy one. There was some work to do, mending a dress and polishing some shoes, but that meant the time would go by faster. For Anna and John that was always good. They liked to keep themselves busy in each other's company, and they usually took these moments to talk and just be together. That's how they spent the early hours of their day, until lunch time rolled around…

'So, Mr Bates. I've learned you'll be our choirmaster, after all.' Mr Carson said, bringing his fork to his mouth.

'Yes…that's what I'll be doing,' John sighed.

'We are starting the training tomorrow afternoon,' the butler announced.

'His Lordship wants us singing like heavenly angels,' Mrs Patmore chuckled, placing a big pot of stew on the table. 'Now, I'm not sure how you will manage such miracle…Mr Bates.'

'I'll do my best, Mrs Patmore,' John smiled.

'Maybe there's a jolly singer among us that we don't know about!' Miss Baxter spoke up.

'That would be, Mr Bates.' Mrs Hughes replied, nodding her head toward John.

Anna looked across the table at her husband and smiled tenderly. She was just so happy and proud to be one of the few who knew about this hidden side of him. She always thought his talent would be put to use lulling their children to sleep, one day. Little did she know that he would be needed for something this grand.

XXXXXX

'Alright, first…' John cleared his throat as the servants stood before him, in a empty room on the second floor, that his Lordship had assigned to them for their practice. '…first, I am going to listen one by one and see what kind of…vocals you have. Then according to that I'll place you in the right position within the choir.'

'Do you even know about music? Or were you just the only singer those sad souls could come up with?' Thomas twisted his nose.

'I know enough,' John told him, between his teeth. 'And you will be the first, Mr Barrow.'

'As you wish…what song do you want me to sing?'

'O Come All Ye Faithful. That's the one I know we will be singing in the end.'

Thomas straightened his jacket and coughed before starting.

**_O Come All Ye Faithful  
__Joyful and triumphant,  
__O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.  
__Come and behold Him,  
__Born the King of Angels;  
__O come, let us adore Him,  
__O come, let us adore Him,  
__O come, let us adore Him,  
__Christ the Lord._**

'That was really good Thomas! You are a Countertenor, I think…it was very good!' John smiled in surprise as he noted on his pad. The under butler lifted his brow victoriously.

'Where will I be then?' he asked.

'Not sure, yet … after we have a couple more I'll tell you.' John ran his hand through his hair. 'Alright, Miss Baxter, you can be next.'

Miss Baxter had some slight problems with tuning but her voice wasn't bad. She was probably a soprano or a sopranino, it didn't really matter though, not yet at least. John took his notes.

Two hall boys did well enough. They would be besides Thomas, and Mrs Patmore did abysmally at the high notes but the valet was sure they could work on it. Anna was next and he already knew what type of voice she had. They smiled at each other before she sang and he took the noted 'fine soprano, the finest of them all.' He later would scratch that bit with his pencil. He couldn't have anyone reading that.

Mrs Hughes followed and Daisy and three more maids, they were all sopranos and John sighed.

'It would be really good if we had a alto…' he grimaced.

'Oh!' Mr Molesey exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms around. 'What about the nanny? I know she's not one of us but I think.. she does have an…alto kind of voice?'

'That's a good idea, Mr Molesley. Marge? Can you tell the nanny what we are doing here and ask her if she can join us?' The maid nodded left the room. 'Alright, now, Mr Molesley, you can be next.'

'Ah…' the footman looked down, giggling nervously. 'I'm afraid I'm not good at singing…now if this was criquet…' he sadly shook his head, '…but it's not.'

'God forbid it was criquet or we would have everyone running away on Christmas night!' Mrs Patmore remarked seriously.

'Oh, come on, Mr Molesley, just a little tune.' Anna encouraged.

'Alright…I suppose I can try…' Molesley shrugged his shoulders before stepping forward and clearing his throat. He sang…

_**O Sing, choirs of angels,  
Sing in exultation,  
Sing all that hear in heaven God's holy word.  
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;  
O come, let us adore Him,  
O come, let us adore Him,  
O come, let us adore Him,  
Christ the Lord.**_

They all looked at him in shocked wonder. Why, Mr. Molesley had a beautiful voice! Powerful and moving. John was nearly dumbstruck. When he stopped singing everyone was open mouthed, the women teary, even Thomas looked amazed.

Noticing the expressions on his fellow worker's faces, the unlucky footman asked, 'Did I do that bad?'

'No! No. Not at all.' John came near him and patted his shoulder. 'You did remarkably well, Mr Molesley. I was not expecting that from you! From Mr Carson, maybe, but not from you! You are an excellent baritone. Congratulations!'

'Well…' he stuttered, 'I…I suppose I didn't know that.' Mr Molesley giggled, looking over at Miss Baxter, who was smiling shyly at him, her eyes shining through her lashes with teary pride.

'So, Mr Carson, you are next! I am expecting an impressive bass now,' John chuckled.

I'm afraid you may be in for a disappointment, Mr Bates,' the butler said stepping forward with a queasy look on his face. 'I still don't like the idea of a choir.'

'Oh come on, Mr Carson. Don't be so moody, lighten up, will you?' Mrs Hughes rolled her eyes at him. 'Just sing so we can move on with the group training.'

'If you insist.' Carson furrowed his manly brow and began to sing.

**_All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,  
__Born this happy morning,_**

'Oh god! Please!' John shouted as everyone else covered their ears. 'It's enough, Mr Carson, that's enough!'

The butler looked around at his inferiors aghast faces and he just shrugged his shoulders, thinking 'I was a clown, not a singer!'

'I don't…I don't know what to do,' John sighed heavily. 'Maybe with some training?'

It wouldn't do. John tried working with Mr Carson but, in the end, by mutual decision, it was obvious the butler would not be part of the choir. Happily, he was more than fine with that.

The nanny had proven to be an alto, and John placed everyone in their right position to sing. Two days later, the choir was ready for their first rehearsal. After a couple of practices, John deemed them to be more than adequate at the Christmas party.

John was a tenor, and everyone was very pleased with his voice. They felt solace every time he sang and understood why he was so often requested during the war. He sang next to Thomas, and one day, while they were doing some warm up exercises, Anna noticed something rather interesting. 'You know,' she told them, 'your voices go so well together. Really, really well.'

'Yes, that's true. I've noticed it too.' Mrs Hughes agreed, while everyone else nodded.

'Probably the only thing that goes well between those two.' Mr Molesley laughed before silencing himself when he saw the pointed looks he was recieving from John and Thomas 'They do… they do go well together.'

'Maybe you should sing a duo or whatever it's called,' Anna suggested. 'I think it would be lovely. Just one song for the two of you to sing. Oh! Maybe a old war song? Just for the comrades? His Lordship would like that, I think,' she smiled at her husband.

'You know,' John thought for a moment. 'I do think that's a good idea.'

'It might just work,' Thomas agreed.

XXXXXX

'Do you really think it's a good idea?' Anna asked her husband as they lay bed, his arm around her shoulder and her head resting against his chest.

'I do…Thomas has a really good voice, I must say, and I do think mine blends well with his.'

She smiled, bringing her hand to his neck, grazing her fingers against his skin. 'And about a war song?'

'Well…at first I thought that a war song at a Christmas party wouldn't be appropriated but then, war songs tell us about hope and glory and well…Christmas songs do that too. It's a different theme but in the end they hope for the same. Peace and harmony, and love.'

'That's very nice talking, Mr Bates. A proper orator,' she kissed his shoulder.

'Well, it was your idea, my love. The credit is all yours, and…I do have a reason to sing those songs now, don't I?'

'You certainly have Mr Bates! You certainly have.'

* * *

_**A/N: One more chapter to go! **_

_**Thank you for reading :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer:** Same as chapter 1-3._

* * *

_'__Captain! Where are you? Captain!' John's voice rang out over the screams and gunfire. The smell of blood was making him sick to his stomach. Friends falling at his feet, grabbing at his legs, begging him for help. He looked around, trying to see through the dust and smoke and the blood dripping down into his eyes._

_The ground moved under his feet and he fell. 'Richards,have you seen the Captain? Oh God! Where is he?'_

_'__Do you think I even care?' A canon ball fell meters away from them. Richards was on the verge of tears 'Good luck to him, but I'm out of here!'_

_'__You stay there, Richards! You stay. They told us to stay in our positions.'_

_'__Bloody hell, Bates. I don't want to die, and I won't be dying tonight!' The words had been cursed. Sometimes you wish for more than you can have, and minutes later Richards was dead._

_'__Richards!' John shouted, tears rolling down his cheeks. Not from the loss really but in rage and fear. Mourning would happen after the battle. There was no time for such things now. 'Where is he!' he pleaded to the heavens, and they answered him._

_From the dust and smoke, Robert Crawley came into view. 'Sir!' John called again and this time he answered._

_'__Bates! Go back. Retreat, retreat!' Robert came running as fast as he could, his rifle in one hand and the other on his helmet, trying to protect himself from the fire. 'Retreat Bates!'_

_And that's when John saw him. The enemy. A bullet with Robert Crawley's name about to be fired. He wouldn't have it. He had sworn loyalty and his own life for his King, Country, and above all, his Capitan. So he ran to cover his superior. He ran as if his life depended of it and the bullet from that rifle was renamed - John Bates._

_'__Oh no, shit!' John cried on the ground. His hands grabbing at his knee, trying to make the bleeding stop._

_'__It's your knee, Bates. Just your knee. You'll be fine but now…' Robert told him, between heavy breaths. 'we have to run! Come on Bates, we have to get out of here!' So much blood. 'Bates! Wake up…Bates…'_

_Three days later, John awoke in the infirmary. His body shaking in pain and fever, his right leg still, as if it were dead._

_'__Will he be alright? He saved my life…' John heard someone talking._

_'__He'll survive but the leg…not sure if he'll walk again.'_

_He would walk again. He would survive. He would live until an old age and that leg would eventually heal. Little by little the cane would lose its importance, and many years later he would only use it more from habit than from need. If no enemy had stopped him, no bullet would._

* * *

No Christmas night had ever been more pleasing. The spirits were running high, people were dancing and talking and laughing. The tree was magnificent and appeared to be lit with tiny twinkling stars and surrounded by piles of festively wrapped gifts. Servants were more than happy for such a big party and a night off from work, and everyone was getting along splendidly. But now it was the time they were all waiting for, the Christmas choir and the singing of traditional carols.

'Alright, everyone in their place, and good luck.' John said, winking at his wife. Anna knew he was nervous, he had shared his fears and anxiety to her last night, but of course, she had put him at ease, encouraging him and spending the day telling him how wonderfully he would do. He was now more comfortable and at ease but still…when the audience gathered around them, his heart began to race in his chest.

Finally, the night was almost over. The choir was a success. Carol after carol, and ovation after ovation. The guests congratulated Lord Grantham. 'Who knew your servants had such talent, my Lord.'

And of course Robert was proud as a peacock. He walked around the room with his chin up and a pleased smile on his face. He would raise his glass at John every time a carol came to an end and John would smile, almost shy/shyly.

They sang seven Christmas songs, the last being 'O Come All Ye Faithful', where John and Thomas sang the last verse in duo. The guests were marvelled, taking in the harmonious match of their voices. When they finished, everyone clapped appreciatively, many were teary eyed. John was indeed a grand vocal coach, even Thomas had to admit that.

'Ladies and Gentlemen,' John spoke, calling everyone's attention. His choir staring at him in surprise. That carol was supposed to be the last. Anna looked at him questioningly and he smiled at her, a sure and lovingly smile followed by a nod. 'There's one more song…that I saved for last. This song is no carol, and maybe it doesn't mean much for most of you but…' he looked ahead then, meeting Robert's eyes in the middle of the room. 'It means so much for some of us. It's a song I used to sing to my comrades, and I'd like to sing it now in their honour. For those who are still here, and for those who didn't make it.' He looked at Anna now who was smiling at him with tears in her eyes. 'This song is called Annie Laurie and I also want to dedicate it to my own Annie.' He smiled then, his cheeks turning red, his shyness giving itself away. But still, he didn't flinch. He faced the audience and took a deep breath and then the words began to flow from his mouth as he closed his eyes. His memories taking him back to those long-ago days. Days of suffering and pain. Days of death and destruction. Days of longing. Longing for this life he had now, even though back then, he couldn't possibly imagine how lucky he would be with his Anna.

_**Maxwelton's braes are bonnie,**_

_**Where early fa's the dew,**_

_**'Twas there that Annie Laurie**_

_**Gi'ed me her promise true.**_

_**Gi'ed me her promise true -**_

_**Which ne'er forgot will be,**_

_**And for bonnie Annie Laurie**_

_**I'd lay me down and dee.**_

_**Her brow is like the snaw-drift,**_

_**Her neck is like the swan,**_

_**Her face it is the fairest,**_

_**That 'er the sun shone on.**_

_**That 'er the sun shone on -**_

_**And dark blue is her e'e,**_

_**And for bonnie Annie Laurie**_

_**I'd lay me down and dee.**_

_**Like dew on gowans lying,**_

_**Is the fa' o' her fairy feet,**_

_**And like winds, in simmer sighing,**_

_**Her voice is low and sweet.**_

_**Her voice is low and sweet -**_

_**And she's a' the world to me;**_

_**And for bonnie Annie Laurie**_

_**I'd lay me down and dee.**_

Richards, James, Oliver, Alexander, and so many others came to his mind. Friends he lost on the battlefield. Friends who would beg him to sing, to make the ache for their loved ones less painful. He opened his eyes, and they were brimmed with tears. Yes, tears had been shed but he wasn't alone. The people in the mighty Great Hall joined him in his mourning for those times, and for those men. They became alive, even for just one moment, through everyone's tears. Most of them hadn't made it back. Many years had passed, but they would never be forgotten. Never. They would visit him in his dreams, in memories and thoughts. They would always be shadows and his past. John would always remember those times. And when he looked at Robert again he saw them. Laughing around him. Telling dirty jokes and singing. Defending the Crown and holding pictures of beautiful ladies in their hands until they fell asleep. No, they would never be forgotten. Robert nodded, tears gathering at his eyes, his lips quivering. He raised his glass to John and gave him a small smile. 'To our brothers,' he whispered. They would always live in their memories. Forever.

\- The End -

* * *

_You can find the song 'Annie Laurie' on Youtube. _

**_Thank you for reading :)_**


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